More math classes for Northwestern Lehigh students

A drop in PSSA scores prompted the district to change scheduling.

For Northwestern Lehigh School District, the problem is as simple as A + B = C.

The high school's block scheduling has contributed to flagging math scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.

The solution? More math. Next fall, freshmen and sophomores will have math classes for the entire school year instead of just one semester.

The aggressive scheduling is part of the district's multi-faceted plan to boost math scores in the high school where less than half the juniors tested proficient or above in math.

It's a problem that may be inherent to block scheduling, which at Northwestern means taking four 80-minute classes in the fall and another four in the spring.

Students who take math in the fall of their freshman year could conceivably not take another math class until the second semester of their sophomore year — a full year and a half later. The math portion of the PSSA is administered in the spring of a student's junior year.

"The gaps that exist due to block scheduling are a great determinant to achievement," said Kelly Bleam, head of the high school's math department. "We're hoping for the ability to schedule students until they've completed the four core required math courses."

Under the changes, single classes such as algebra I would be stretched over the course of a school year, as is the case with traditional scheduling, said director of curriculum LeAnn Stitzel. But the classes would still last 80 minutes, giving students more time on the subject matter.

Students would still have the option, however, to take semester-long math classes, allowing them to take four math courses over their freshman and sophomore years, she said.

Either way, students would likely be required to be in math classes throughout their first two years. The details haven't been finalized, Superintendent Mary Anne Wright said at Wednesday's meeting.

The math department will begin doing benchmark testing three times a semester, teaching test preparation strategies and insisting that math teachers proctor the math portions of tests. In the future, the department wants to implement a new junior year assessment course to focus on test-tasking skills across disciplines.

Stitzel said she isn't worried that the additional math classes might push out other core subjects or electives, because now, "it's urgent we deal with math and reading, so we are not in [state-mandated] school improvement planning."

Bleam added that Northwestern Lehigh isn't the only district experiencing problems with block scheduling.

"Half the high schools on block scheduling talked about same exact troubles," she said. "No one had found any level of comfort or success."

Still, in the next few months, four districts are scheduled to tour Northwestern to get a close look at the mechanics of block scheduling, said Dennis Nemes, the high school principal.

"So what we're doing looks pretty good," Nemes said.

In other business, the school board voted in a new member to replace former Director William Towne, who resigned earlier this month.

Christopher Ford, 27, of Lynn Township, will serve on the board until elections next fall.

It's the second board position filled this school year. Former Director Paul Fisher resigned for personal reasons in October.

Earlier this month, newly re-elected board President Greg Snyder also announced this would be his last year on the board.